After two decades of service to the Roslyn community, Library Director Elizabeth McCloat will be retiring at the end of March from the Bryant Library.

Along with her husband Ray, himself the recently-retired superintendent of the Harborfields School District, Mrs. McCloat will be relocating to Savannah, GA. "It's a fitting move from one unique historic location to another," she said.

The Friends of the Bryant Library will hold a special reception in Elizabeth's honor in the Helen Glannon Room of the Bryant Library on Saturday, March 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. All local residents are invited to attend.

"It's kind of bittersweet," Mrs. McCloat said of her impending retirement from the library. "I feel like this community is family. But it's time to move on, time to do something different."

Mrs. McCloat arrived at Bryant in the spring of 1986, after managing the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's corporate information center, a "public/business" library for 25,000 employees. After serving as the head of Technical Services, she was appointed Assistant Library Director in April 1989, before taking over as Library Director in June of 1991.

Under Mrs. McCloat's leadership and vision, the Bryant Library upgraded and entered the digital age, while still holding true to the value of the library as community center, first envisioned by William Cullen Bryant.

Even with the technological advances, she always maintained Bryant's rich tradition of warmth and personal service. Staff development was key in Mrs. McCloat's administration. She constantly encouraged staff to keep ahead of the curve, especially in the field of technology. Mrs. McCloat summed it up: "The library was never just about books, it has always been about people."

A native of both The Bronx and East Meadow, Mrs. McCloat received a master's degree from Queens College. From there, she went to work for Metropolitan Life. She said that her time at Met Life prepared her immensely for the responsibilities she would later assume at the library. "Having been in a business setting gave me a foundation to be an administrator in a public library," she said.

As Mrs. McCloat's retirement date of March 31 nears, she reflected on some of her achievements at the library. "My move to Bryant came at an exciting time for libraries," she said. "Advancements in technology and the role of libraries in the community resulted in almost constant change,"

Among those changes, Mrs. McCloat listed the following:

• The paper card catalog evolved into (several) computer versions.

• The audio book collection exploded and transitioned from cassette to CD and now to MP-3 format. Bryant was one of the first libraries to lend audio books in digital format on MP-3 players.

• Public access computers were added; more recently the library became a Wi-fi hotspot.

• The Bryant Library became available 24 hours a day through our website.

• The historic Valentine House was renovated and transformed into a library annex with meeting/training space, business offices, and a Friends' bookstore. This move made it possible to expand the Children's Room in the main library.

"Most important to me was listening to the community by connecting with you," she said. "Outreach is essential to our library's continued success. Our board, staff, and I talked with you at school Open Houses, Village Street Fairs, civic and parent association meetings, Adult Ed, and Rotary to name a few. I joined committees and executive boards to have a say for Bryant in the greater library community.

"Partnering with the Roslyn Public Schools to benefit the students and parents is a proud achievement, one acknowledged recently through an award from the Roslyn schools," Mrs. McCloat added. "Together, we developed new teacher orientation, an annual middle/high school art exhibition, Operation Kindergarten, Young Adult Advisory Council, Einstein Toy Invention Convention, and the list goes on.

"Partnering didn't end there - we reached out to the larger community to form lasting relationships with the Heckscher Museum of Art, and now with the Art League of Long Island," she continued.

"It has been an honor to have worked with the Friends of Bryant Library, an enthusiastic group of volunteers with a membership that is not often found in a library our size," Mrs. McCloat concluded. "Over the years, they have set their sights ever higher. This last year's crowing achievement was the September Comedy Night with Wendy Liebman that raised significant funds earmarked for a new circulation desk. I may be moving on, but the heart of the Bryant Library - our dedicated board members and wonderful staff, will be here to carry on tradition. I thank them for all we have achieved together."